"Damn, this is tight! To think my first time saying this would be because I was trying to wiggle my way through a small cave entrance…." Blake actually wanted to curse even more. Because he could not even remember being with a single girl before, he only cared about survival and had no chance to actually climb those steps to adulthood.
"But seriously, that guy actually climbed through this hole?" Blake knew that this hole also might not be the place, but he still shoved his body through the skinny entrance. Such a place was hard to find to begin with if one did not know what they were looking for. While there was a chance that this place was not the place he was looking for, if he did not take the risk to check it out, he would end up like he was before. And this he did not want. So far, everything has been similar to what he remembered. His current fighting ability and even this cave that he found.
Everything so far was actually pointing to the reality he once lived through to being a true reality and not him having some kind of vivid dream during his college class.
As time passed and Blake crawled further into the small tunnel, he began to worry about not being able to get out or that this tunnel never opened up, but all those worries were washed away when he came to the end of the small tunnel to an open room that was faintly lit up with glowing blue lights.
"This is…." Blake hopped down into the rocky cave room. The room had many glowing blue mushrooms, which lit the room up fairly well, allowing Blake to see without any issue. "These mushrooms…" Blake had seen these mushrooms before. They were not the normal kind of mushroom you would see in a cave on Earth. It was more like they shouldn't be able to grow here. That was because this kind of mushroom fed off mana. Which meant…. "You have to be joking, right!?"
Blake looked at the wall, which was covered in runic lettering and images of dragons and other monsters. When mana took over, the knowledge of magic was instilled into those who evolved and allowed them to understand how to read the runes used in casting magic. "Does this mean… It must be. How else could the legends of dragons and other kinds of monsters be talked about throughout history? What we think was fantasy because we never saw it with our own eyes is actually a reality of the past?"
Looking at the wall with ancient drawings of all kinds of different monsters, Blake came to a realization. "This world was sealed off?" With this thought in mind, he began trying to interpret the pictures and runes above them to try to see if there was anything here that would grant him great power and allow him to become stronger than anyone else in the coming apocalypse.
'In the beginning, mana flowed like rivers….'
'Mana gave rise to monsters and beings who could wield the elements of the world.'
'Life flourished on a delicate balance until one day….'
'A race of dragons, the Dragonic, started to become greedy and wanted to rule over all the races.'
'This race enslaved their own cousins and began to use them as weapons of war.'
'They sent out legions of armies and began overthrowing the other races, enslaving them and forcing them to fight for their cause.'
'Years of war ravished the lands….'
'The only ones who could stand up to this threat were two races. Humanity and their superior knowledge and ingenuity and a race of ancient dragons, the Ather, who were able to resist the Dragonic's strange control over the other dragon races' minds.'
'But the war was not without its losses. The Ather dragons gave up their lives to seal the dragonic, and their massive armies into a void separated from this world, taking with it the mana that once thrived here, all in order to allow their weaker yet resourceful comrades in arms the ability to thrive in a new world without magic.'
'With no mana, the world could once again be reborn into a new age. All traces of the world from before were wiped out, and the humans left had to start all over from scratch.'
'To those who are reading this… My brethren gave up their lives for peace. So I hope you will find peace and happiness in this life that so much blood had to be spilled in order to achieve.'
Blake stood back and looked at the large mural in complete shock. "The Earth really was once a fantasy world…."
Blake fell into thought as he scanned the rocky wall once more. It was then that he noticed something hidden just out of sight. "This is?"
Blake walked over and knelt down. In the corner of the room, there was a small inscription written on the wall. He reached out and wiped the dust off to see a small message. "If a day comes and you need my help….. Unlock the seal that I have placed on this place."
Underneath this text was a set of runes. Blake hesitated for a moment before bringing his thumb to his mouth and biting the tip of it. He then reached out and traced the runes with his blood before speaking out loud each rune: "Razdan, Vermi, Phzalami!"
*Boom!*
The wall in front of him suddenly exploded, revealing a large blue metal double door with the image of a dragon carved into it. Blake coughed as few times as he wiped the dust from his mouth and eyes. He stared at the door with a large grin on his face. "No one ever said anything about this. So does this mean that in the future, even when someone does find this place, they will never open the seal? No, wait, the army took over this location, so did they try to cover up the fact that Earth has a different history than the one that was told? What was the point? Or did they get destroyed before even having a chance to open the door?"
Many possibilities of what might have happened filled Blake's mind, but he shook his head and gazed at the door in front of him with eyes filled with determination. "Whatever the reason, I don't care. From this moment on, I can only rest my future on what lies beyond this door. Friend or foe. Whether I live or die. All will be decided after I walk through this door."
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Blake clenched his fist and stepped forward with determination. As soon as he saw the runes on the wall, he already knew what he had lived through was true. He was actually surprised at first that he could still read them all. But since he had memories of his past life, he figured it was not so strange for him to be able to read the runes.
He stood in front of the door and reached out to place his hand on the ice cold metal of the door. A chill shot through his body, making him tremble, but he did not care. He pushed hard on the door with everything he had, but instead of the door opening as he had imagined, his face turned redder and redder. "Haah! What the hell!? It won't budge!"
"Wait… If there are mushrooms here that rely on mana, then that means." He looked at the door and closed his eyes. He was trying to remember the strengthening spells he used in his past life. "Ridan Freati Sonfinol!"
A large red rune suddenly formed in front of him and shot into his body. Red runic markings began to flow over his skin. He could feel his body becoming stronger. He did not know why he was actually able to cast this spell. He should not have been able to. After all, he had yet to evolve. He was just giving it a try, but here he was casting a strengthening spell. A smile curled up on Blake's lips as he once more got into a pushing stance and leaned against the door. He pushed as hard as he could. Rumbling sounds could be heard around him as the whole room seemed to be shaking. "What the hell? Even with a strengthening spell, it won't open?
Just as he was about to give up, the door suddenly moved ever so slightly. Seeing this, a flash of determination appeared in his eyes as he pushed even harder until his face was almost purple. This time the door was actually giving way. Although slow, it was definitely moving. He pushed and pushed until finally, there was a space big enough for him to slip through.
As soon as he passed through the door, he bent over and held his knees. His breathing was ragged. He felt like he had just run for miles. He never thought the door would be so heavy. After catching his breath, he raised his head to finally look around the room. But what appeared in front of his eyes was a beautiful girl lying on a stone bed peacefully sleeping.